Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Of 2025Holiday Watch GuideGotham AwardsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

Praying Mantis

  • TV Movie
  • 1993
  • PG-13
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
5.2/10
410
YOUR RATING
Praying Mantis (1993)
CrimeDramaThriller

Story of a female serial killer (Seymour), who marries men and then murders them after their first night together picks widower Don McAndrews (Bostwick) as her next target - but soon wishes ... Read allStory of a female serial killer (Seymour), who marries men and then murders them after their first night together picks widower Don McAndrews (Bostwick) as her next target - but soon wishes she hadn't.Story of a female serial killer (Seymour), who marries men and then murders them after their first night together picks widower Don McAndrews (Bostwick) as her next target - but soon wishes she hadn't.

  • Director
    • James Keach
  • Writers
    • William Delligan
    • Duane Poole
  • Stars
    • Jane Seymour
    • Barry Bostwick
    • Chad Allen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.2/10
    410
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • James Keach
    • Writers
      • William Delligan
      • Duane Poole
    • Stars
      • Jane Seymour
      • Barry Bostwick
      • Chad Allen
    • 12User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos6

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top Cast25

    Edit
    Jane Seymour
    Jane Seymour
    • Linda Crandell
    Barry Bostwick
    Barry Bostwick
    • Don McAndrews
    Chad Allen
    Chad Allen
    • Bobby McAndrews
    Frances Fisher
    Frances Fisher
    • Betty
    Colby Chester
    Colby Chester
    • Agent Johnson
    Michael MacRae
    Michael MacRae
    • Agent Broderick
    Anne Schedeen
    Anne Schedeen
    • Karen
    John Martin
    John Martin
    • Sam Winslow
    J.R. Knotts
    • Capt. Stringer
    • (as John Knotts)
    Sherri Jensen Bostwick
    • Kate
    • (as Sherri Jensen)
    Kathleen Randall
    • Pratt
    Barbara Kite
    • Mother
    Mariah Milner
    • Daughter
    Roger Welch
    • Bellboy
    Victor Morris
    Victor Morris
    • Det. Hutchins
    Frank Roberts
    • Minister
    Sherry Narens
    • Harriet
    Karen Johnson-Miller
    • Paula Martinson
    • Director
      • James Keach
    • Writers
      • William Delligan
      • Duane Poole
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    5.2410
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8nightroses

    Brilliant tv movie

    This is such an underrated film made for TV. A villain bride prays on men with the purpose to marry them and kills them. Okay without going into too much spoilers, the dresses and jewels are beautiful, the food looks appetising and the rest is classy. Jane Seymour plays the killer and she does it really well.
    Monika-5

    Jane Seymour will knock your socks off!

    I have fond memories of watching this cable TV movie with my grandma at her house several years ago. Oh my! Jane Seymour is so well known for playing "good" women, Dr. Quinn in particular. Here she shows she can play a very evil (yet vulnerable) villainess convincingly. Barry Bostwick is also good, as is Chad Allen (in a weird bit of casting, Jane Seymour's TV son from Dr. Quinn plays Barry Bostwick's son here). Anyway, one of the most entertaining and smart TV movies I've ever seen. Check it out on Lifetime!
    natalia44706

    Jane seymour a villian

    I could not believe when I saw this movie, that Jane Seymour was the bad in this movie. She was really good in this role. I like when some actresses who play the goody too shoes in movies play the bad . You would never suspect that jane can pull this one off.
    5jamiemiller-07611

    Unremarkable, But Not Awful

    Jane Seymour plays a woman who marries men and kills them on their wedding night for reasons that only become somewhat clear by the end and, even then, they're not all that well articulated.

    It's fun to see Seymour go nuts even if the material itself never rises to the occasion and plays things pretty safe. The rest of the cast is good, including dependable actors such as Barry Bostwick, Frances Fisher, and Chad Allen.

    Despite an FBI investigation subplot could have been deleted altogether, it's a pretty tight and mindless 90 minutes.
    JasonDanielBaker

    A Very Entertaining & Highly Underrated Character Study

    Mysterious poisoning deaths of five successful, newly married men occur over a number of years in such a manner that the FBI is sure they must be connected.

    The prime suspect is a beautiful woman (Seymour) who is adept at dramatically altering superficial aspects of her appearance. She goes by so many aliases ('Linda' for most of the duration of this) that she probably can't even remember how many people she has been and has her eye on her sixth victim (Bostwick).

    Her men are so driven in their careers that access to them beyond the confines of offices and work-related travel is limited. A gold-digger might view them as prime targets but never put in the work to find out where these guys can be approached, what they like, what they lack etc.

    She actually adores her victims. It isn't work for her to find out about them. But she isn't really a gold-digger. Her motive is more complex.

    The right questions aren't asked by the lonely, overworked GQ coverboys she captivates. She pushes all the right buttons when she meets them. Good things are just assumed and they feel loved by her after whirlwind courtships.

    She has serious game when it comes to guys. Prettier or younger rivals will not only never be able to compete, they won't even know where to begin. Many won't want to because she just seems so nice. They can find another man and would hate to lose her as a friend. Those not dissuaded by that tend to have fatal accidents.

    In any alias she is extremely camera shy - good thinking for a serial murderer but it goes deeper than that for her. She genuinely dreads her own image no matter how many times she changes her hair, make-up, wardrobe etc.

    Far from taking pride in and feeling confident about her ability to beguile men this individual has an intense self-loathing. Looking at her reflection in a mirror she rants aloud (the voice inside her head is seemingly not quite loud enough or harsh enough) about how stupid and ugly and desperate she thinks she is or appears.

    This is her true perceived self image and that cruel voice she subjects herself to speaks with a disdain she dreads hearing from men enough to murder them at precisely the high point of the relationships - the honeymoons, before things even get a chance to deteriorate.

    This particular monster in the guise of a human being has neither a proper understanding of death nor a full connection with real life. Her childhood with extremely abusive parents remains the defining issue of her psyche though it is comprised of bad memories made decades earlier.

    Killing or even dying if it comes to that are preferable to feeling unworthy of love. Her psychosis is that severe and Jane Seymour is very convincing in portraying it.

    More like this

    Living in Fear
    5.2
    Living in Fear
    Praying Mantis
    7.3
    Praying Mantis
    Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Smart Story
    5.8
    Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Smart Story
    Sunstroke
    5.4
    Sunstroke
    Not My Kid
    5.8
    Not My Kid
    Praying Mantis
    Praying Mantis
    A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story
    7.1
    A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story
    The Tunnel
    5.3
    The Tunnel
    6.8
    Praying Mantis
    Dickens of London
    7.2
    Dickens of London
    Mantis
    5.2
    Mantis
    The Girl in the Pool
    4.3
    The Girl in the Pool

    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      Linda's brunette hair, obviously a wig, changes color as the film progresses.
    • Crazy credits
      The lead actress Jane Seymour, is not mentioned in the final credit roll.
    • Connections
      Referenced in WWE Raw: Who is Lex Luger? Part Two (1993)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 11, 1993 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Svarta änkan
    • Filming locations
      • Mount Hood Community College - 26000 SE Stark Street, Gresham, Oregon, USA
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Television
      • Wilshire Court Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 30m(90 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.